Street Map
by cofi-shot
Summary: Grissom asks Sara out. What would Nick do? NS fluff and angst rolled into one.
1. Swept Off Your Feet

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. CBS does.

Author's Note: I initially posted this over at my livejournal. Just thought I'd share it here as well. All titles are from the song "Street Map" by Athlete.

* * *

"Have dinner with me." 

For a moment Sara just stood there, dumbfounded. Has Grissom just asked her out on a date? It was the end of another long shift and Sara was walking through the hallway on her way out of the lab when Grissom passed her. Suddenly he turned around, as though he remembered something… then blurted out the one question she'd been waiting to hear from him for three years.

"Okay," she replied automatically.

"Tomorrow's your night off right? I'll pick you up at 7." With that, he proceeded past her and entered the office of the day shift supervisor. Just like that he could return to his work as if nothing out of the usual has happened, Sara thought in wonderment.

It was a different story for her, though. She was still having a bit of trouble believing what just took place. Grissom gave no indication whatsoever that he was even thinking of asking her out. So she was really surprised when he did, hence her immediate response. Honestly, it was more of curiosity that prompted her to go along with it. Rooted to the ground, she stood there in the middle of the hallway lost in her thoughts. She was trying to figure out just what she had done differently this time when she felt the light touch of a hand on her back.

"You okay?" Nick was peering at her.

"Yes."

"Uh huh," he mumbled, obviously not believing her.

Sara sighed. He knew her too well.

"Grissom…"

"What did he do now?" Nick frowned at her.

"Oh it's nothing like that." She assumed he must be thinking about the countless times she complained about Grissom to him. "He just asked me out."

"And…" He just raised his eyebrows at her.

"And… I said yes. Oh you can't tell anybody, okay? Promise me."

"Yeah whatever…" He seemed distracted all of a sudden. "Listen, I gotta get this to trace. I'm pulling a double so… catch you later alright." For the second time that day, somebody unceremoniously walked out on her.

_ooo _

Nick walked away feeling a little annoyed. She had whined about Grissom's behavior in what seemed like innumerable times, then only one word from him and she would turn into putty. He'd been witness to it more than he cared for, actually.

_"Ugh!"_

_Nick was walking into the locker room and just chuckled when he heard his coworker groan. She does that many times actually, because apparently lots of things piss her off. He went over to her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "What's the matter, Sar?" He turned his back on her and opened his locker as he waited for the answer._

_"He can really be a pain in the ass sometimes! You know what he told me earlier, d'ya know?"_

_"No. Please enlighten me."_

_"He asked me what I was doing! Like I don't do anything around here! Why is it that I can't seem to please him ever?"_

_"Maybe you shouldn't."_

_She just looked at him baffled. "Of course I do. He's our supervisor in case you've forgotten."_

_"And? You know that's just not the deal here." Yes he knew about Sara's thing with Grissom, if one can even call it that. People in the lab used to make a reference to it once in a while._

_She glared at him so he decided on a different approach._

_"Come on let's get some breakfast. I bet you're just hungry… we haven't eaten anything since DNA results came in and that was hours ago. You may still rant about him later if you want." He grinned, knowing she'd likely forget everything once food settled on her stomach._

_"Fine. Your treat?" Her demeanor changed abruptly at the mention of food. She was actually smiling at him teasingly._

_"No. We're going Dutch." He ended up treating her to breakfast that day anyways._

A grin formed on his face as he remembered how Sara would always insist on splitting the bill whenever they eat out together, and how he would sometimes let her just to shut her up.

He glanced up and was a bit surprised to come face to face with the glass door of the trace lab. His forehead furrowed a little as he tried to remember what he was supposed to be doing at that moment.

"Oh right, trace…" He pushed the door and let himself in, then smirked when he spied Hodges dozing on one of the tables. "Yo, Hodges!"

* * *


	2. Don't Know When

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. CBS does.

Author's Note: I initially posted this over at my livejournal. Just thought I'd share it here as well. All titles are from the song "Street Map" by Athlete.

* * *

Sara anxiously paced around her living room as she waited for Grissom to arrive. He didn't really explain what he meant by dinner, and she hated not knowing. Actually, she hated that he had to ask her out then, just when she was finally over him and has moved on. Her spirits have been high these past few weeks—she had been smiling more and sulking less. Nick had pointed out to her that she hasn't complained about anything lately. She just laughed and smacked his arm, then playfully complained about his hair. 

_"Cut it off, Nick."_

_"I like it. Girls love brushing it off my forehead." He grinned mischievously._

_"Have I ever brushed it off your forehead?"_

_"No… and what a shame that is. Come on, you know you want to." He leaned towards her._

_She wanted to alright, but doing so would just stroke his ego. And she really, really wanted him to cut it off. So she was genuinely pleased and surprised when he went to work the next day sporting a crew cut._

_"Happy?"_

_"Very." She gave in and ruffled his hair, then caressed it all the way to the base of his neck._

She smiled, remembering how soft his hair was. It was also nice to know that her opinion mattered to him--he changed his shirt for her, and cut his hair for her. She wondered what else he would do for her.

She looked up at the clock and saw that it was five minutes to seven. Finally, the doorbell rang.

_ooo_

Nick absentmindedly flipped through the channels as he tried to pass time. He only got a couple of hours before shift but he couldn't bring himself to get ready for it. Try as he might, he couldn't help but think about Sara's ongoing date. He prayed that she wouldn't do anything rash and sleep with the guy. Now, where did that come from? He really shouldn't care whom she sleeps with anyways. Finally, he couldn't take the suspense anymore and picked up the phone.

"Hey…" He listened to the background, which was quiet apart from the low hum of the television. "You alone?"

She chuckled. "If you must know… yes I am."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Aren't you home a bit early after a date?"

"Aha… well Griss still had to get ready for work so…"

Nick's breath hitched up at the mention of Grissom's name.

"Oh did you know that Lygus bugs are one of the causes of irregularly-shaped strawberries? And that they damage fruit by… by…hmmm…" Sara became silent for a while.

Nick decided to let her off the hook and laughed. "No I didn't... I don't think I have to know really, but thanks anyways."

"That's what I thought when Grissom told me… can't remember the second part though…"

"You talked about bugs on your date?"

"Well he loves bugs… it's inevitable."

"I wouldn't do that on our date… I mean bugs are like the least romantic things out there."

"I bet. You'd be talking about birds instead..."

"And bees."

She laughed heartily at that. "So what else would we talk about on our date?"

"I don't think we'd do much talking."

Another set of giggles from her. "What's up with the one-liners? You trying to impress me?"

"Is it working?"

"See… stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Stop flirting with me if you're not gonna do something about it."

Was that a dare? "You do it too, Sidle."

"Why don't you just ask me out then."

Definitely a dare.

"Nah… You're the boss's girl now." He then hung up.

* * *


	3. Our Paths Are Straight

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. CBS does.

Author's Note: I initially posted this over at my livejournal. Just thought I'd share it here as well. All titles are from the song "Street Map" by Athlete.

* * *

Sara walked towards the break room feeling a little bored. When Grissom asked her to have dinner with him, he literally meant that—dinner. They ate, talked a bit, and that was it. She tried to think why she thought having dinner with him would be so great anyways. She reached the room and almost turned back out when she saw Nick and Warrick in there. She wasn't really in the mood to see Nick after he brusquely hung up on her the other night.

"Yo Sara come here a sec." It was Warrick who beckoned her.

"What's up…" Sara walked in and limited her gaze to Warrick. She could feel Nick carefully watching her.

"I was thinking Nick needs to get his act together and go on a date. Don't cha agree?"

"Uh yeah I guess…" Warrick was right though. Ever since Nick's horrible experience months ago, he hadn't been going out a lot. He would rather stay home and watch a movie. So Sara wouldn't push him and they'd just settle themselves on his couch and pull out one of his DVDs.

"So I set him up with this girl and now he doesn't wanna go. Pretty messed up huh?" Warrick slapped Nick's back with more force than expected.

"I'm… just not in the mood bro."

"When will you be? This girl is fiiiiine, man I'm telling you."

Nick let out a long breath. "One date."

Warrick laughed. "Meet her at Andre's on Thursday. And don't embarrass me." He gave Nick a light punch before going out of the room.

Sara opened the fridge and stared inside, having completely forgotten what she was doing there in the first place. All brain cells were focused on the fact that Nick is going on a date, with a "fine" girl. She stole a glance at Nick but he was also avoiding her gaze. They stayed silent for a long moment—Nick grasping his mug, and Sara fumbling stuff in the fridge.

"I'm not his girl, you know." She broke the silence.

It took a while before he responded. "So you're not gonna go out again?" He stood and got ready to leave.

She winced at that. They do have a second date. She heard him sigh so she turned around and looked directly at him. He shook his head in disbelief.

"Nick, why does it irk you so much that I go out with him?" She paused for a while and tried to read his expression.

"I just thought that after all the crap you two have been through, that you'd know better…"

Sara was quiet for a while, pondering the truth in his words. "You're right… I don't know better. Maybe if I give this a chance, I'd know." She'd been over Grissom, but when he brought it up again she felt that she at least owe it to herself to give it a chance. She refused to accept that after all the effort and waiting she put to this relationship, it would turn out not right after all. She'd been strung along for so long that it became difficult to let it go.

Nick just gazed at her. "Sara, if he hurts you again…"

"What? You gonna punch him?" She laughed sarcastically.

"I just might." His somber tone showed her just how serious he was.

_ooo_

Nick almost spurt the water he'd been drinking when he saw Sara and Grissom walk through the front door of the restaurant. "What the hell!" It was Thursday night, so here he was at Andre's fulfilling Warrick's wish.

"I'm sorry, what?" His date Gina was looking at him weirdly.

"Uh nothing." Nick forced a smile. Warrick wasn't kidding when he said that this girl is fine. Maybe this could go somewhere.

She grinned at him, displaying a cute dimple on her cheek. "We can order now, right? Do you think they have sushi? I love those…"

"Honey, it's a French restaurant." Fine indeed, a little lacking in the brain department though.

"Oh right." She smiled again, but didn't look so cute anymore to Nick.

He glanced back at the entrance and looked for Grissom and Sara, then panicked a little when he noticed them walking towards their table. At least they weren't holding hands, he thought. That would just make him gag.

"Nick, hi. Do you mind if we join you?" Grissom glanced at the girl in front him. "That is, if it's alright with the pretty lady?"

Nick glanced at Sara and remembered she knew where his date would be. He tried to catch her eyes but she was staring at the back of Gina's head. "Sure, Griss." Nick stood and walked over to Gina's side of the table. "We were just about to order actually."

"Thanks." Grissom offered his hand before going to his seat. "Gil Grissom, I work with Nick. And this is Sara Sidle." Sara just nodded and continued staring at the girl. Gina introduced herself and smiled. She seemed genuinely pleased to have more company.

Nick finally caught Sara's eyes as she stood in front of him and gave her a questioning look. She chose to ignore it, pulled out her chair instead because Grissom seemed to have forgotten to do so.

* * *


	4. Draw Some Lines

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. CBS does.

Author's Note: I initially posted this over at my livejournal. Just thought I'd share it here as well. All titles are from the song "Street Map" by Athlete.All titles are from the song "Street Map" by Athlete.

* * *

"I'll just go to the bathroom." Without looking at anybody, Sara stood up and left the table. She was getting fed up by the way Nick's date had been acting. The girl had known him for like an hour and she was already calling him Nicky?

Sara had reached the hallway by the restrooms when a hand caught her wrist and spun her.

"What's going on?" Nick released her wrist.

"I don't know what you mean..."

"The hell you don't. Why'd you follow us here?"

Sara just shrugged and walked to the side and glanced at the couple of people passing through the hallway. She wasn't exactly sure how she got this crazy idea. When Grissom arrived at her place, he said it was her turn to pick where they would go. Andre's was the first thing that came to mind. She looked back at him as she rests her back on the wall. "I was just curious…"

"As to what?"

"Her… I didn't know you go for that type Nick."

"And what type is that? She's actually nice, Sara." Nick crossed his arms in front of him and leaned his shoulder on the wall beside her, his expression a little smug.

"You saying I'm not?"

He eyed her for a bit then grinned. "You're jealous," he concluded.

She was but she wasn't going to admit it. She just glared at him and ignored the comment. "Why are you making a big deal out of this? We're just sharing a table."

"I thought I made it clear I didn't want to see you with him."

"Ugh, grow up."

"And why would you parade yourself and him in front of me? Wearing this…" He flicks the strap of her dress and let his fingers linger there. He was leaning close enough that Sara could smell the hint of cologne on him. "You look gorgeous by the way," he said huskily.

Her face grew warm as he gazed at her intently, licking his lips a bit. She had a sudden urge to capture that tongue and kiss him senseless right there—in a public restaurant where she got another date, no less. She shook the thought off and blamed it on the dim lighting, the soft music, and the wine she had earlier.

"We should get back…" She held her breath as his finger left the strap and wandered along her collarbone.

"Yeah we should…" Nick drew his hand away and slowly stepped backwards from her, then turned around and sauntered back to their table.

Sara let out the breath she didn't notice she'd been holding. She could feel her heart still thumping wildly in her chest. She never had Nick look at her like that before, with so much intensity and longing. Things have definitely changed between them, and she wasn't sure what to make of it.

_ooo_

"In some species of praying mantis, the female begins to eat the male while they are still mating…" Grissom was speaking animatedly. Well he always does when it comes to his favorite topic.

Nick glanced at Sara and watched her cut her vegetables and put some in her mouth. She would nod politely once in a while as Grissom gave his speech. He smirked a little when he realized she wasn't really taking all those information in. She glanced at Nick and smiled when she caught him staring at her.

Nick didn't know what came over him earlier. He had never been that bold to Sara. He figured that she was pushing the right buttons and he gave in. Truthfully, she hadn't really left his mind ever since Grissom asked her out. Maybe it was the thought of losing her that was getting him worked up all of a sudden.

Whether he admits it or not, he'd been depending on Sara a lot these past few months. She was the only one who seemed to understand where he's coming from. She knew how to deal with the changes he'd been going through. And he'd like to think that he'd been helping her as well. They both had too much pain so it became natural for them to lean on one another.

Nick turned his head towards Gina when she lightly touched his arm and leaned in as if to whisper something. She was getting really close to him when he felt a foot lightly kick his shin.

"Oww!" He jerked suddenly, breaking the contact with Gina. He glared at Sara, who looked down and pursed her lips in an attempt to hide her smile.

"You okay?" Gina hovered closer to him and squeezed his arm. With a final glance at Sara, he turned his head back to his date and tried to concentrate on her.

"Yes. I .. uh ..think I got a cramp."

"Poor baby." She completely leaned this time and gave him a peck on the cheek before straightening up.

Nick anticipated the kick instantly, so when Sara raised her foot he caught it with his hand. He glanced at Sara triumphantly and saw her eyes go wide in panic. She didn't pull her foot away so Nick took it as a sign to continue. Silently thanking God for long tablecloths, he loosened his grip on her foot a little and lightly stroked her ankle with his thumb.

"… by the time she reaches his abdomen, mating is completed. Unintentionally the father becomes the supply of food for the bugs…" Grissom continued with his fun facts. Gina looked like she was enjoying it actually.

Nick slid closer to the table and kept his other hand on his glass. Sara swallowed hard and fiddled with her food.

"Aren't you hungry, Sara?" Grissom momentarily paused with his narration as he looked at Sara. He seemed genuinely concerned for her.

Nick pulled down the strap of her sandals and glided his fingers over the arc of her foot, then slides them up to her calf.

"Yesss…"

Nick grinned and kneaded her calf muscle gently.

"Uh..I mean no. I ate before you came to pick me up." Sara was looking a bit flustered.

Grissom raised an eyebrow and reached for her hand. Nick noted that Sara pulled her hand away a little too quickly. Satisfied with his effect on her, he placed the strap of her sandals back up and let go of her foot.

"You know, we should probably get back. Shift starts in a few hours." Sara turned to Grissom.

Grissom nodded and hollered for the bill. He also decided he'd pay for all of them. Nick let him, he's the boss anyways. And Nick wasn't really in the mood to argue. Gina wanted dessert so Nick motioned for the other two to go on without them. He sighed, the night was about to end finally.

"Nick, he left his wallet." Gina motioned towards the wallet lying on Grissom's side of the table.

Nick grabs it and stands abruptly. "I'll try to catch up with them… you gonna be fine here?"

He turned and hurried after them, then slowed his pace a little when he caught a sight of them on the street in front of the restaurant. Grissom hailed a cab and opened the door for her, then gave Sara a quick kiss before urging her inside the cab. Nick's heart stopped for a second. He blinked, and thought if he indeed saw what he just did. It was only when Grissom slammed the cab's door that Nick started to walk again.

"You left this." Nick almost shoved the wallet towards Grissom, then turned and walked away.

* * *

Oh I love reviews. Please let me know what you think so far. :) 


	5. Disconnected

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. CBS does.

Author's Note: I initially posted this over at my livejournal. Just thought I'd share it here as well. All titles are from the song "Street Map" by Athlete.

Thanks to Heartagram Lala, BeTrAyEd DaUgHtErS, skynyrd, Baby24-Misery(who rocks beyond words lol), nickysbabygirl, Doggies45, CSI3Snickers, wraiths-angel, Jayme Beth, madpsychogirl, MollyMKS, and BoscoCruzCrazy. :D

* * *

Sara saw Nick arrive an hour late to their crime scene which was a few miles north from the lab. He went straight to Warrick who pointed him back to Sara. He looked tired, Sara noted as he walked towards her. 

"Hey." She flashed him a smile before going to the gory details. "Blood trail starts from the backdoor, and zigzags a bit before ending up in the bathroom. Now the vic was found in the upstairs bedroom, with no trail connecting to here. So I'm thinking…"

"Yeah…" He cut her off. "I'll go upstairs."

"Okay..."

So he processed the upstairs bedroom while Sara stayed in the ground floor and Warrick got the outside. Once they're finished they loaded all packed evidence in the trunk and got in the car. Sara took the driver's seat and Warrick got in the back, which left Nick sitting up front.

"Hey Rick, how'd you know Gina anyways?" Sara had been driving for a while now when she remembered this tidbit that she had to ask.

"Nick told you about his date? I haven't even had the chance to hear 'bout it"

"He didn't... I met her." She blushed remembering just how that night went.

"When? Nick here already felt the need to introduce her to you?"

"I really had no choice." Nick, who'd been silent all along, suddenly interrupted their conversation.

"What's that?"

Sara glanced at Warrick through the rearview mirror. He looked confused as hell.

"Sara felt the need to bombard our date that's all."

She jerked her head towards Nick in surprise. "What!"

"Well it's true ain't it? It wasn't enough for you to be out with Grissom. Oh right, nobody else…

"I did no such thing! What are you talking about!"

"…nobody else gets to go out on dates in peace. You know sometimes you act like one selfish b.."

"Hold it! Nick what is wrong with you?" Warrick was looking at Nick incredulously.

Nick just shook his head and looked out the window.

Sara blinked and tried to swallow her tears. She really couldn't understand him. Just the other night his hands were all over her and now he's acting like he loathes her. She gripped the steering wheel tightly and tried to concentrate on driving. When they arrived at the lab's parking lot, she slammed on the break and jumped out of the car without looking back.

_ooo_

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Warrick was frowning at Nick. They're in the evidence room laying out the things they collected on the table.

"Sure what's up?" Nick glanced up momentarily and put down the bloody carpet he'd been holding.

"I don't know what the hell's going on between you too, but dude did you really have to yell at her like that?"

Nick sighed. "It's complicated"

"Try me. You know I care about the two of you…"

"I know man." He wasn't ready to talk about this yet, but his behavior earlier indicates that he needed help. "Have you ever felt like you were losing somebody?"

"So this is about Griss huh?"

"How'd you know about that? Supposed to be a secret…"

"You kidding me? Word travels fast around here… and you also managed to squeeze it in earlier between all the bitching."

Nick winced. He still couldn't believe just how big an idiot he had been.

"You feel you're losing her and you yell at her. That's genius man." Warrick was shaking his head at him disapprovingly.

"You know I didn't mean it…" He actually wanted to hit Grissom but unfortunately the man wasn't there. So he stupidly took out his frustration on Sara instead.

"What is it exactly that you think you're losing?"

Nick paused for a while. What was there to lose anyways? "Everything."

Warrick sighed and leaned his back on the table beside him. "Didn't know you got it that bad…"

"Didn't know it myself."

"Look dude, if you're sure about this… how you're feeling…" Warrick was studying him intently.

"I am." He couldn't be surer of anything else.

"So what're you going to do about it?"

Nick hits realization and looked up as a smile formed on his lips.

Warrick saw it and chuckled. "Glad you've finally come to your senses." He picked the blood sample and walked to the door. "Got to bring this to Wendy. I'll be right back."

* * *


	6. On Your Street

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. CBS does.

Author's Note: I initially posted this over at my livejournal. Just thought I'd share it here as well. All titles are from the song "Street Map" by Athlete.

* * *

Sara was driving along the strip when she saw the billboard of movie classics. She grinned and grabbed her phone to call Nick. He would love to hear about this. Then she stopped, realizing they weren't on speaking terms for the time being. She sighed and tossed the phone to the side. 

_"Casablanca. You're kidding me, right?" Sara looked at the disk Nick handed to her. It was his day off so he asked her if they could do something before she goes to work. She opted for a movie at his place because she wasn't in the mood to go out that night._

_"No I'm serious. It's a classic war movie."_

_"It's a romantic classic war movie."_

_"You don't like it?" He pouted at her._

_"It's not that… you sure you're not gay?" She smiled at him teasingly._

_"Actually… why don't you come here and find out for yourself?"_

_"Meaning?"_

_"Come here Sidle." He grabbed her and they both fell on the couch, with Sara on his lap. Nick held her head and brought it closer. She closed her eyes and then…felt him kiss the top of her nose. She opened her eyes feeling a bit disappointed, and then laughed it off instead. "You just kissed me like you would your niece."_

_"How would you like me to kiss you then?"_

_"Like… uh." She swallowed hard and changed the subject. "I'm all for sappiness once in a while." She stood back up, walked over to the tv, and loaded the disk into the player._

_"You liked it, admit it." Nick was grinning at her._

_"Fine. Just shut up… I love how this starts."_

_ooo _

Nick sat on his kitchen drinking beer as he watched his football team get their asses kicked. "Yeah I know how you feel," he muttered. Now that he knew what he's supposed to do, he was still trying to figure out exactly how to do it. He figured he have to talk to her first and apologize. Then what? Just ask her out? Maybe he should do something big and romantic to impress her. That's what he was finding so hard to do all of a sudden—be creative. "Crap…"

His doorbell rang. Warrick probably took pity on him and decided to join him instead of taking his wife to yet another dinner. With eyes still on the tv, he stood and walked backwards towards the door. Seeing the other team scored another touchdown, he completely turned and jogged a bit to answer the door.

"Hey…" Sara looked at him warily.

Nick looked down at the pizza box she was balancing on one hand and the bunch of DVDs on the other. He was surprised, for he thought she was still mad at him for earlier. He completely opened the door and watched her as she got in and went straight to the kitchen. She put the stuff down on the counter, then turned and leaned her back on it. He just stared at her like a fool, not able to think of something to say. He really should've come up with his speech for her already.

"I just thought we could still keep doing this…" Sara was talking about their somewhat ritual of getting together on his day offs. Actually, it was only last week when they realized that they've been doing it regularly.

Nick cleared his throat. "Of course." He walked to her and gently touched her arm. "Sara," he started.

"I was thinking about earlier, and for the life of me couldn't think of anything I did wrong… So I thought maybe it wasn't about me, you know?" Sara interrupted him when it took too long for him to speak.

"I'm sorry. You're right, it's my problem."

"Thought so… Okay spill." She smiled at him encouragingly.

"I … can't." What could he say? That he's so afraid of losing her to another guy and takes it out on her? That he just realized she meant more to him than anyone else in his life? He could, if only the million thoughts running through his mind could find their way to his mouth.

"Since when can you not talk to me?" Her eyes told him how hurt she was. "What's going on?"

He stepped closer, and thought of ways on how to tell her. "Close your eyes Sara."

"Stop playing games, Nick."

"I'm not. Just… please."

She still wouldn't do it, so he brought one hand up and ran it gently over her eyes. "One minute, that's all I'm asking," he whispered, and breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't open her eyes. Tucking a few stray hairs behind her ear, he reflected on how beautiful she looked with just a plain shirt and jeans on.

Nick held her neck lightly with one hand, and leaned in to tenderly nip at her lower lip. He slid his tongue over it urging her lips to part for him. He groaned when they did, and pulled her closer as he brought the kiss deeper. Her fingers tangled in his hair as she slanted her mouth with him, kissing him back just as passionately. After a while Nick slowly pulled back a bit, gasping for air, and proceeded to nibble down her neck. For the first time ever, he was afraid to look in her eyes. It was enough for him to hear her moan, and to feel her clinging to him.

He thought he heard a phone rang, but ignored it as he ran one hand down her spine, and kissed his way up back to her lips.

"Nick…" Her voice was husky. She ran her hands down his neck to his arms, and squeezed them lightly until he looked up. Sara pulled out her cellphone from her pocket and answered it without breaking her gaze on him. "Sidle."

Nick reluctantly stepped away from her. It was only then when he noticed that he was trembling a bit.

"Yes… I'll be right there." Sara hung up and bit on her lip. "I need to go…"

He couldn't read her expression at that point. He merely nodded and gave way, and watched her as she went out the door. At the click of the door, he let out a long breath and grinned. He just kissed Sara Sidle, and she kissed him back.

* * *

Reviews are so appreciated :D 


	7. Choices We Make

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. CBS does.

Author's Note: I initially posted this over at my livejournal. Just thought I'd share it here as well. All titles are from the song "Street Map" by Athlete.

Thanks to unspoken-dream, BoscoCruzCrazy, kikki, wraiths-angel, Heartagram Lala, Baby24-Misery, Aemie, nickysbabygirl, MollyMKS, Jayme Beth, BeTrAyEd DaUgHtErS, LittleMissSnark, and GeorgeEadsLover. :D

* * *

"Somebody's happy today." Cath caught up with Sara at the lobby. She'd been pulling a double whereas Sara just got in. "What's up?" 

Sara just grinned wider. She'd been in high spirits ever since her day started.

"So I take it your date with Grissom went well?" Cath murmured to her as they walk side by side through the hallway.

"What date? Oh that… hey how'd you know…" Sara stopped when she saw Cath's smirk. "Anyways, it was okay I guess."

"Just okay huh…"

"Not really what I expected though." Sara surprised herself when she said that out loud. She glanced sideways to Cath hoping she wouldn't pick up on it.

"Why? What did you expect?"

Well, this is Cath. The woman probably knew all along before she even asked the first question. Sara decided it wouldn't hurt if she told Cath something she'd been bursting to talk about in the first place. "This does not reach Griss, okay?"

"I swear." Cath was no longer whispering. "Oh this is gonna be good…"

Sara just rolled her eyes. "So we had dinner, with Nick and his date. Then on the way home he kissed me. You know what's…"

"Wait. Nick was there?"

"Uh yeah. Not the point. So it was the lightest kiss, I almost didn't feel it. What I didn't expect was to not feel something about it…"

"Nothing? At all?"

"I was thinking maybe because it was so brief and we were on the street so it might not have been the best romantic setting out there."

Cath raised her eyebrows at her.

"It's just that I've been kissed way better." Sara kept her voice lower as they entered the break room. Only Greg and Nick were there, both appeared to be fixing coffee.

"Hmm… too much information."

"What is?" Greg interrupted.

"Sara's kiss."

Nick suddenly had a coughing fit. All three turned their heads towards him.

"Cath!"

"Who kissed you?" Greg was walking towards them excitedly.

"Grissom," Cath declared matter-of-factly.

"Oh my God, Cath you are so dead." Sara still kept whispering even though everyone in the room pretty much knows what they were talking about anyways. "And we weren't talking about that…"

"Oh right. So who were we talking about?"

"It wasn't me," Greg managed to joke.

"Why would I think it was you?" Cath turned to Greg a little annoyed. He kept butting in.

"Cath…" Sara lightly pushed Cath towards the door. "Isn't Warrick waiting for you in the AV room?"

Cath smirked some more but took the hint. "Fine…Greg you're coming with me." She walked out the door with Greg behind her, leaving Nick and Sara alone in the room.

Sara walked towards Nick, not being able to contain the big grin that was forming on her lips. "Hey…"

"Can I talk to you?" He looked back at her seriously.

Her grin faded a bit as she wondered why he had to be so formal. It's not like they didn't just get to know each other on a completely different level last night.

"Sara."

She turned her head towards the door at the sound of a firm voice.

"I need to talk with you." Grissom was grasping the doorknob as he leaned on it.

Sara looked back to Nick, and then to Grissom. She turned back to Nick and noticed him slowly retreating.

"I ah… need to see Archie about something." Nick sauntered out the door, not looking at either of them.

Grissom walked in and stood in front of her, and pursed his lips before speaking. "My friend offered his cabin up the mountains. Since I'm free this weekend we could go. I know you just had your day off but that can be arranged."

Sara was still staring at the door that Nick walked out of, only half hearing what Grissom said. She was still thinking about what Nick was supposed to say to her.

"It'll be fun." Grissom gave her one of his rare smiles.

She turned her head back to him. She knew what she had to do, and it didn't involve Grissom. "You know what, I have to do something, now. I'm sorry… I'll talk to you later." With that, she hurried out of the room leaving a very confused Grissom.

_ooo _

Nick banged his head on the steering wheel. Their date-to-be is so well-planned, he had everything ready. He failed to do the only thing left, and the most important at that—ask her out. And why was she talking to Cath about her kiss with Grissom anyways. He thought she felt the same because of the way she kissed him back and… oh shit what if he was so wrapped up in his emotions that he misread her actions. What if…

Nick raised his head up at the sound of the passenger door opening. He turned his head and sees Sara get in and close the door.

"You wanted to talk?"

Sara surprised him yet again. "Oh yeah... it was about the case."

"Aha… we don't have a case yet."

"Right. I meant the other case."

"What case?"

Nick licked his lips and stalled. Both went silent for a while just staring at each other, then spoke at the same time.

"Nick, you don't get to kiss me like that and just get away with it."

"Would you like to go out with me?"

* * *


	8. One Day

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. CBS does.

Author's Note: I initially posted this over at my livejournal. Just thought I'd share it here as well. All titles are from the song "Street Map" by Athlete.

* * *

"Miniature golf?" Sara raised an eyebrow. When Nick told her that their date was going to be in the afternoon and that she should to dress casually, a couple of ideas came to her but they didn't include this. "I'm not dressed for this." Fortunately, the wind wasn't strong that day.

Nick looked over her tank top and light skirt appreciatively. "That'll do, Sara." He grinned and took her hand as they walked towards the first hole. "So remember, there's a five stroke limit on this. You go first." He handed her a club as she situated herself on the fairway.

"Hmmm…" Sara twisted the club a couple of times to get a firm grip on it. She still needed to get used to it since it's been ages since she last played golf. Sure, miniature golf is easier but she'd never done it before.

"Need help?" Nick asked.

"No, I got this…" She was concentrating real hard on swinging at the perfect angle.

"You sure?" he said, trying to convince her otherwise.

She looked up and saw him glancing at her behind. "You just wanna put your hands on me." She grinned teasingly.

"Don't you?" he grinned back.

Sara pursed her lips trying to contain her smile. "You know what, I do need help…"

Nick laughed and strolled towards her. He stood behind her and placed his hands on the sides of her hips. "So here's how it goes…" He nudged her feet with his right foot. "Stand wider… and lean a bit forward."

"Okay." She shivered a little when he slid one hand up her spine to lean her forward. He pushed her hair to one side and breathed on the side of her face.

"Ready?" he whispered close to her ear.

Sara nodded, but closed her eyes when she felt him nuzzle her neck.

"You missed."

"What…" She glanced down and indeed she had swung and sent the ball to a completely different direction.

"Sara, you need your eyes to take a shot."

She could feel him chuckling behind her. She turned her head towards him and glared. "I knew that."

"Try again."

She really should've just instructed him to step away from her, but couldn't bring herself to do it. "Do you really expect me to take a decent shot?"

"Consider it a challenge." He ran his hands along her sides.

Sara tried again. "Okay, I give up."

"Fine. I'll keep my hands to myself." He held his hands up and grinned as he stepped backwards.

_ooo _

Nick held Sara's hand as he led her towards the elevators of the hotel beside the golf course. They got to the eighth hole when they decided to call it a day. Hungry stomachs don't mesh well with sports anyways. He absentmindedly tapped his foot as they waited for one of the elevators to open. He was getting a bit anxious.

"Are you okay?" Sara tugged at his hand to get his attention. She was looking down on the foot he was tapping.

"Yeah. Sorry." He smiled at her briefly and then turned towards one of the doors that opened. A lone kid was inside. Nick pressed the top floor button and then hugged Sara to him. "Finally got you in private."

She giggled. "Not really…" She motioned her head towards the young boy, who was openly staring at them.

He brought her neck closer and kissed her softly. "A technicality… darlin" He kissed her again and let it go deeper this time. Then he pulled back, feeling a little guilty for putting on a show for the kid. He glanced back to him and sighed. "I can wait… I think." He still held Sara against him as he watched the floor numbers go up. Finally, the elevator doors opened and the kid got out, which made Nick one happy devil. "So where were we?"

"Right about here…" Sara playfully licked his bottom lip. "You know, we could've just gotten room service."

Nick liked the way she was thinking and grinned. "Yeah, but I gotta show you something first. And we got to eat decently at least."

"Sometimes, being a gentleman isn't always good."

"Stop complaining, Sidle." He chuckled. Nick pulled her out of the elevator and led her to the restaurant that was located at the rooftop deck. He glanced up and smiled. The sun was about to set and he was sure Sara would appreciate the view of a setting sun over the mountains of Nevada.

"What's up here anyways…Oh." Sara looked around approvingly. "This is beautiful, Nick."

"Yeah, and they happen to have the best steak too… and an abundance of veggie dishes in case you're wondering."

"Not really. I knew you'll have that covered," she said and smiled.

He led her towards railings where he stood behind her as they both turned towards the view. They were silent for a long while, just taking it all in. Nick put his arms around her and kissed her temple, then did the one thing he should've done long ago.

"I love you, Sara."

* * *

lol yeah we're getting a bit mushy. Reviews are love:) 


	9. Mark My Home

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. CBS does.

Author's Note: I initially posted this over at my livejournal. Just thought I'd share it here as well. All titles are from the song "Street Map" by Athlete.

Thanks bunches to BeTrAyEd DaUgHtErS, nickysbabygirl, Doggies45, BoscoCruzCrazy, Jayme Beth, Heartagram Lala, wraiths-angel, justicegrl, Lexa-Gibbs, and Baby24-Misery!

* * *

Sara bit on her lip stifling a moan. Nick held an ice cube between his teeth and trailed a path from her neck going through the valley of her chest and down past her stomach. He tossed the ice cube to the side and followed the trail back up with his tongue. 

"Ready for the second round?" he whispered to her before taking her mouth for another kiss.

She was more than ready and let him know by kissing him back urgently. She ran a hand across his chest and then grasped his shoulders tightly.

They were at one of the suites of the hotel, a couple of hours after dinner.

Gasping for air, Nick pulled back a bit and nibbled along her jaw line. He slides his hands down her arms and put both of her hands up her head. "We got time, right?"

"No…" It was actually half an hour before shift starts. "I don't mind…" Sara wrapped her legs around him and brought a hand down to lightly grip his hair. First one felt so good that she was willing to give up almost anything for another one. Work could wait.

He stopped nibbling and brought his wrist up to glance at the time. "You sure?" He looked down at her hesitantly.

"Yeah… we're only gonna be a few minutes late." She tugged his neck down and rocked against him gently. "Please, Nick," she purred.

He grinned and slid his hands along her thighs. "Sure, babe…"

_ooo_

They were an hour and a half late.

Nick and Sara entered Grissom's office hastily and found only Grissom and Warrick in there.

"Nick, Cath and Greg are already in the scene. Sara, you're with me and Warrick." Grissom started to hand Nick his slip when he suddenly stopped. "Where were you?"

"Uh… car trouble."

Sara nodded, grateful that Nick was able to think of an excuse fast enough. "My tire got busted so Nick helped me out."

"You could've called." Grissom frowned down on both of them.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." Nick nodded apologetically and then turned to leave. "I'm gonna go now... later," he said to no one in particular and then left.

"Is that what they're calling it nowadays?" Warrick whispered to her as they followed Grissom out of the room.

She flushed and looked back at Warrick wondering how in the world he knew.

He reached over and squeezed her arm lightly. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

Smiling, Sara returned her gaze forward and nodded. She has always considered Warrick as an older brother, one who occasionally gives helpful advice and who usually nudges her in the right direction.

Both of them stopped in their tracks when Grissom turned around abruptly. "Warrick, you go on ahead and wait for us in the car. I need to talk to Sara briefly," Grissom said furrowing his brows a little.

Warrick nodded but hesitated a bit before walking off.

"This must be important, huh?" Sara looked back at Grissom skeptically.

Grissom gently pushed her to the side before speaking up. "About that weekend I told you… are you going?"

She almost forgot about that offer. It seemed like ages ago since that conversation happened, when it's only been like a couple of days. "Oh. I can't, I'm sorry."

"How about dinner later?"

She sighed. "Okay."

* * *

Only one chapter left:) 


	10. All That I Know

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. CBS does.

Author's Note: I initially posted this over at my livejournal. Just thought I'd share it here as well. All titles are from the song "Street Map" by Athlete.

* * *

"What's going on, Griss?" Sara got direct to the point. They were dining in at a nice restaurant a few blocks from the lab. She agreed to it, only to settle the situation between her and Grissom once and for all. "I mean… why are you asking me out all the time, all of a sudden?" 

"I thought it was obvious, Sara." Grissom just looked back at her tenderly. "It's because now I know what to do about _this_."

Sara was silent for a while, remembering the incident years ago when she asked him out and he refused her, saying he didn't know what to do about _this_. "Griss… I don't think there's anymore of _this_." She motioned her hand between them. "Honestly, I'm not even sure if there ever was…"

"Don't say that," Grissom said, hurt apparent in his voice. He took a sip from his wine and studied her for a while before speaking up. "What changed, Sara?"

She thought for a moment. Their relationship has been a like a rollercoaster ride. Not much has happened, but it still left her with emotional baggage along the way. "For five years I've been thinking, maybe if I work harder or try harder, maybe someday I'd be good enough for you."

"You are…"

"Sssh. Let me finish." Sara reached over and squeezed his hand briefly. "You know what I realized these past few months, Griss?"

He sighed and hesitated a bit before asking. "What?"

"You're just not… good enough for me."

He looked away immediately as if it pained him too much to look at her. He swallowed hard and kept his gaze on his plate while he asked her, "Is there someone else?"

Sara smiled wistfully. "Fortunately there is, but even if there wasn't… I don't think we would've worked anyways."

"How can you know that, we haven't even tried."

"Griss, what do you think we've been doing all this time?" Sara said, a little exasperated. She drank some water to calm herself down.

They've been going back and forth for years now, and more often than not it was backwards. She told herself that he needed time… that his work was too important to risk. She actually willed herself to believe those things just to make excuses for him. After some time, she realized it wasn't going to go anywhere, ever. And that what was it exactly that made her go after him anyways? She was looking for assurance in the wrong places. She was looking for love in the wrong places, period. Finally, she figured out she would not have been happy with him anyways.

"I think I know you… us… well enough to say that we're not just right for each other."

Grissom was silent for a while taking it all in. Then he spoke up. "Who is it?"

_ooo_

Nick sat in his car parked outside Sara's apartment, absentmindedly drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. He called Warrick earlier, asking about the case and looking for Sara. Warrick replied that he overheard Sara and Grissom talk about dinner. He took it well during that moment, shrugging it off as probably some work matter. Then he got thinking, if it was about work then why wasn't Warrick with them? The more he thought about it, the more tensed he became. He does trust Sara, but she didn't exactly say anything when he professed his love for her. She kissed him, that's all. Actions do speak louder that words but he would like to have heard it anyways. Now he doubted just how much he did mean to her.

Nick jerked his head up when he heard a car approaching. Grissom's car stopped in front of the building and after a couple of seconds Sara got out of it. Nick waited until the car was out of sight before getting out of his car and walking towards the apartment. He took the stairs, to give time to calm his nerves a little. It didn't help much because by the time he stood in front of her door, his heart was still thumping madly against his chest. He knocked twice, and was greeted by a smiling Sara.

She pulled him in and gave him a hug. "Hey."

He pulled away almost immediately, watching her intently. "Can we talk?"

Sara looked confused but managed to smile. "Sure, what's up?" She led him towards the couch where they sat next to each other.

"Sara…" Nick took her hands and shifted so they were facing each other. "I'm not gonna deny your thing with Grissom. I know it's there, and I respect that. But I know he's not right for you… so you can go out with him all you want and see for yourself." He paused briefly and looked down on their hands. "…and I'd still be here, waiting. Cause I know that you're the one for me and I'm the one for you. You probably don't know it yet, or don't love me back just as much. I love you so much Sara that I'm willing to go in the sidelines for a while, just so in a way I could still be with you even if you're not…"

"Oh my God, Nick. Shut up."

Nick glanced up to and saw the amused expression on her face. "I'm sorry, it's just that I really wanted to get it out in the…" She put a finger on his lips shushing him.

"Ssshh…" She pulled on his neck and kissed him softly. "I love you."

Nick stared at her for a moment, thinking over what she just said. A smile began to form on his lips.

"I ended it with him, Nick." Her fingers started unbuttoning his shirt. "D'ya wanna hear about it?"

Just hearing those words made it clear to him. "Nah… I don't think you're in the mood to talk anyways." He grinned teasingly and pulled her on his lap. "We talk too much."

"I know! You started it though." Sara leaned in and started nibbling on his ear.

He smiled and tenderly stroked her hair. "I love you."

"See you talk too much." He felt her smile as she kissed his neck. "I love you too."

FIN

* * *

So this is the first fanfic I've ever written. I had so much fun writing it. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as well. :) 

For the record, I really love Grissom. Just not with Sara lol.

And thanks so much to all who read and reviewed! It means a lot to me. :)


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